Teen Arrested In Connection With Maine Paddleboarder's Murder

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested successful relationship pinch nan mysterious sidesplitting of a paddleboarder successful Maine earlier this month, constabulary said connected Thursday.

The Maine State Police said successful a property merchandise that nan teenager, whose sanction was not disclosed, was arrested without incident astatine astir 10:30 p.m. connected Wednesday successful relationship pinch nan homicide investigation of 48-year-old Sunshine Stewart.

The teen was taken into nan Long Creek Youth Development Center successful South Portland. It is not instantly clear if he has retained an lawyer aliases what charges nan 17-year-old faces.

The apprehension comes 2 weeks aft Stewart was recovered dormant successful Union, astir 30 miles eastbound of Augusta, by authorities responding to a study of a missing paddleboarder, authorities constabulary said.

Sunshine Stewart.via NBC News

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner successful Augusta wished Stewart's origin of decease was strangulation and blunt unit trauma, constabulary said. The decease was deemed a homicide, though specifications astir really she died person yet to beryllium released.

“This remains … an progressive and ongoing investigation. No further accusation is being released astatine this time,” authorities constabulary said successful nan Thursday statement.

Authorities antecedently stated that nan owners of a adjacent campground were cooperative during nan investigation. They besides asked for accusation from anyone who saw Stewart paddleboarding betwixt 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. connected July 2 adjacent an land successful Crawford Pond.

“I grew up successful Union, and arsenic acold arsenic I know, thing for illustration this has ever happened there,” Kimberly Hamill, a longtime friend of Stewart, previously told NBC News. “For it to person happened to Sunshine is like, really could that moreover be? It conscionable makes it consciousness for illustration thing will beryllium correct again ever.”

Hamill said Stewart was a carpenter who owned a building business and a vessel skipper who had antecedently sailed to nan Virgin Islands. Stewart did not postgraduate from precocious school, but managed to gain a grade successful marine biology, Hamill said.

“I want group to retrieve her arsenic nan unit of quality that she was,” Hamill said. “She was specified a loyal, bully person. That was her astir memorable value — really overmuch she believed successful everybody.”